Goalkeepers across the continent will be readying their excuses after the unveiling of the Tango 12, manufactured by Adidas, as the official ball for next summer's European Championship in Ukraine and Poland.

The iconic Tango made its debut at the 1978 World Cup and has been updated several times since; the new design incorporates the colours from the flags of the two host nations.

The Tango 12 replaces the Jabulani, the ball for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which drew severe criticism for its unpredictable behaviour and ability to bamboozle goalkeepers – the England keeper David James described it as "dreadful".

This time around, the Daily Mail reports that the ball has been sent for testing to several of the leading European clubs supplied by Adidas, including Chelsea, Milan, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, in an attempt to reduce the number of complaints from players.

The 16 nations competing at Euro 2012, including England, will be sent a supply of Tango 12 balls over the next 10 days to allow players to get used to them.